The Lord of Light
by TheTrueAuror
Summary: Harry wages war on the Dark Lord after he escapes the Battle of Hogwarts. By using any means necessary to kill Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, as darkness is the only thing driving Harry to his ultimate goal. 19 years later will never come to pass as The Chosen One will change the world forever. Please don't forget to READ AND REVIEW. HP/CC
1. Chapter 1

The Lord of Light

Chapter 1.

_Circling the Great Hall looking for the only person that can end this war, Voldermort was in the center of the hall dueling three members of the Order. Harry knew that it was only a matter of time before the Order would lose that battle. Making his way through the mayhem of the Order of the Phoenix, DA, and current Hogwarts students battling Death Eaters Harry walks to the center of the Great Hall, under his invisibility cloak. Spotting Ginny, Hermione, and Luna locked in a duel with Bellatrix caused Harry to stop in his tracks. All sound in the Hall vanished; everything was quiet except for Bellatrix, one word escaped her lips, and it was the one word that has haunted Harry his entire life always being followed by a flashing green light._

_Avarda Kadarva! Screamed Bellatrix._

_Green light was all that could be seen through out the Hall; enveloping the one person Harry cared the most about. The spell hit Ginny in the chest sending her soaring threw the air hitting the ground with a deadpan look. Seeing Ginny thrown back, Harry stared at where she landed hoping that he had heard the wrong spell being fired, hoping that she wasn't dead. She couldn't be dead, not Ginny, not his Ginny. Not seeing her get back up he knew in his heart that she was gone. He froze in the thick of all the chaos with his eyes only on the spot where Ginny landed, "GINNY!" Harry screamed as he ran towards her with no care for himself or anybody else around him. Sliding to his knees Harry sees the girl he was supposed to be with for the rest of his life, laying with lifeless eyes staring back at him. Picking her up to cradle her, Harry bellowed the most blood-curdling scream the people in the hall had every heard. _

_Following his scream, Harry felt a powerful surge of energy envelop him like running water breaking through a dam. The power was tremendous, shaking the very foundation of the school bringing all the occupants to their knees with the sheer force of it._

_Softly laying Ginny back down, Harry stood up and shouted for the one that killed his Ginny. Searching around the hall, the crowd parted away to reveal Bellatrix Lestrange standing off to the middle with a wide evil grin from ear to ear waiting for him wand hanging loosely from her fingers. "Come on baby Potter, let's play." Laughed Bella. Dropping his wand, Harry slowly walked toward her and pointed his finger at her whispering one final thing to her, "You're dead Bella." Making her laugh all the more. Without waiting for a reply Harry lifted up his hand sending a beam of green light shooting at his target. Hitting Bellatrix as she stood still with a shocked expression as she realized what just happened, as the light engulfed and lifted her into the air. The light brightened as Harry increased the power, causing Bella to shriek in pain. Harry closed his fingers into a fist, and all the screaming sounds ceased as the body of Bellatrix Lestrange disintegrated into ash. _

_Seeing his last most loyal lieutenant perish into nothing, Voldermort took a look at the scene unfolding around him, deciding that the battle was over and his forces have lost he called the retreat. Gaining one last long look at his nemesis Harry Potter, he turned and disapparated leaving nothing but death and destruction in his quest for supremacy. _

Peaking through the crimson draperies of the boy's dormitory at the highest point of Gryffindor tower was the sun, shining in the face of the room's only occupant. He was a boy of eighteen, with raven black hair, and was famous for having emerald green eyes and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Since the time he was one year old the wizarding world had looked to him as a beacon of hope, just from the fact that he was the only known person to have survived the killing curse, being singled out by the darkest wizard ever to walk the earth. And now having survived it for a second time the world would look to him even more, to strike the hold the darkness has inflicted on the world, wizard and muggle alike.

The Battle of Hogwarts the previous night, left him battered and worn out, but he could not sleep and he thought he would never sleep again with the way he felt that very moment. As the sun peaked through the bed hangings he jumped up out of bed forgetting his surroundings as he realized he must have passed out. Gasping in sudden pain as all of his aches and pains came to the surface from the battle. Sweat soaked through his clothes as the images from his dream replayed in his mind. Remembering, all the death that surrounded the mêlée dropped him to his knees, as he remembered who was killed. He remembered seeing the flash of green strike something precious and dear to him. Remembering the beautiful red haired girl that stole his heart, falling down to the ground with a vacant expression on her face as her life ended taking his along with her. Using all of the strength he could muster to pull himself up to make his way to the bathroom, to try and wash all the grime and dirt off of him hoping the hot water would be able to reduce the pain in his chest.

Standing in the steaming hot shower helped the tenderness of his muscles dissipate a little, but the constant pain in his heart was steadily growing. The pain was of anger at him and at Voldermort '_no, Tom his name is Tom Riddle, and I'm not going to use that name that he gave himself_,' he thought to himself. No his pain was for his loss of his Ginny. Walking out the bathroom, he glanced at the full-length mirror between the beds giving him a glimpse of what the past years damage had inflicted on his body. The sight wasn't shocking; to go along with, the cuts and bruises that surrounded his torso, he had an oval shaped piece of skin missing with a large S in the middle of his chest. Just a little to the left where the heart resides was another large freshly cut lightning shaped scar, imbedded with a dark black bruise surrounding it. What shocked him was the color of his eyes, no longer where they the emerald green of his mothers, they were now pale and faded with not a hint of green in them. Deep dark circles surrounded his eyes, which made him look more menacing. It spoke volumes of how he was feeling; he liked it, it would strike fear in the hearts of his enemies he thought. Ginny wouldn't love it though….As soon as her name came to the front of his thoughts, his heart began to break with a renewed sadness. It all came back to him as he thought of the battle, all of the horrors, and death that destroyed the spirit of the wizarding world. His worst fears came true that night and he knew that it was his fault, it was his fault Tom Riddle escaped, his fault Hogwarts was destroyed, and it was his fault that Ginny died along with all of the others.

"Harry?" hearing a familiar voice took him out of his self imposed reverie. Turning toward her knowing if he didn't reassure her, she would never let him brood alone. The moment he turned to face her, her shocked expression wasn't easily concealed.

"It's ok Hermione, it looks worse than it really is promise." Harry said.

"I don't believe you Harry, I know how you are, and I know you wont say anything even if your life depended on it." Sighing she asks her next question, "So how are feeling?" with this question he looked directly at her letting her see his eyes for the first time, and the reaction he got from her was as expected. "What happened to your eyes?"

Ignoring her comment Harry stayed quiet for a few minutes before answering, barely over a whisper "She's gone Hermione, she's gone and I never told her how I felt. I never told her that I loved her and that she was the reason I came back. So please tell me how I should be feeling at this moment? Because I sure as hell would like to know."

Confusion evidently written on her face she asked the question that he did not want to answer this soon, "Came back?"

Nodding with a heavy sigh Harry explained about the memories he seen in the pensive, and how he was meant to live only to be killed at the right moment, "I gave myself up to him, knowing I was going to die. I was ok with it though, if it meant saving her and everyone else." Hermione had tears falling down her face, "he said the curse Hermione, and he hit me square in the chest." Seeing her look down at where the curse hit him, and seeing her eyes open wide when she noticed the lightning cut. "It was supposed to end right there and then for me, but it didn't. I was given the choice to come back, and I wish I didn't because I wouldn't have knowing this out come." Seeing her still confused expression, Harry divulged the story of Kings Cross station and the choice Dumbledore gave him. Much to the shock of Hermione, Harry kept his flat emotionless demeanor.

"In all retrospect I came back for her, and for what? So I could go on with my life with out her?" He asked punching the post of his bed with so much force it split and shattered with his magic slipping into the punch. Turning back to her the anger in his new eyes took Hermione at back, as she had never seen him like that before.

"I don't know Harry, I just don't know, but we can't give up. Yes we lost people, and yes it's painful but we have to live for them. We still have to fight."

"I've been living and fighting for other people for the majority of my life, and when I thought I was going to be able live for myself for once; it was taken away from me. No Hermione, I don't think I want to anymore." And with that Harry strode past her putting his shirt on as he walked out of the dormitory.

"Where is he?" asked a very morbid Ron as he was waiting for Hermione to come down Gryffindor tower by the double doors leading toward the Great Hall. Nobody has seen or heard from Harry since the battle the night before, so the general consensus was to send her to try and talk him into coming down.

"Gone. He's not taking it good. He wants to be alone, but I don't think it's a good idea. You know what he's like Ron; he puts everything on his shoulders, thinking everything is his fault if things don't go accordingly. He needs to know that it's not always his responsibility." Said an exasperated Hermione, as they walked up to the Gryffindor table and sat down with Ron's family.

"Why is he taking it all on himself? Is it because of Ginny?" Ron asked remembering his sister.

"He was in love with her Ron, you can't fault him for being torn up. It's like he's given up hope. Oh and his eyes are different now for some reason." Explained Hermione, much to the alarmed looks from around the table.

"What do you mean different?" asked a puzzled Mrs. Weasley

"They aren't green anymore." She said to the group of remaining Weasley's. "They're a pale grey with no pupils at all. And I have to be honest he is in a very dangerous frame of mind right now, and it's frightening. I'm sure I'm not the only one that remembers the amount of power that he was emitting during the battle when he seen Ginny fall. He lost control of his magic; he lost control of himself and I'm afraid he's going do something he will regret if he loses it again."

"Arthur and I will talk with him dear, we will make him see reason one way or another." Mrs. Weasley said with a look of sad determination in her eyes. Although she lost her only daughter, Molly Weasley still considered Harry one of her own.

After Harry left the Gryffindor tower he went on a walk of the grounds, and found himself sitting on a rock at the edge of the lake. Sitting there reminiscing about the good times when he and Ginny would take walks, and relax around by the lake. The memories of their intimate moments together will be all he has left to remember her. The worst feeling was how short their time together had been. He had always known her feelings toward him, but he didn't reciprocate them until the end of last year. The last days with her were the best days of his life, but the days like that are over for him now. As he sat there in his and Ginny's spot he played those last moments just before she died in his head over and over.

Before the battle he knew what to do, and he just did it with out hesitation, and without any regard for his own wellbeing. The thought of never being able to hold her, or start a life with her was something he wasn't able to rap his head around. As long as he defeated Riddle even if it cost him his own life, which he knew was a strong possibility, he hoped Ginny would be able to live a normal and happy life without any pain or any suffering. Hoping after the defeat of Riddle things would be quiet and life would go on, but his mission was far from over. This mission would take Harry on a journey into the pit of darkness. With this mission he had every intention to go it alone, and leave the rest of the Weasley's and Hermione to get on with their lives. He wanted to let them have a life without danger or having to look over their shoulders. Sitting there reflecting Harry could feel the anger absorb him; he had felt this power when he had seen Ginny killed. It felt like a lion was ready to explode out of him at any moment.

Hearing footsteps he turned his head a little to look out the corner of his eye, seeing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley walking towards him. And before they got to him, he stood up and spoke before they got the chance to give him any solace for their only daughter's death, "I'm so sorry about Ginny, I'm sorry that I couldn't protect her. It was meant to have been me not her. I understand if you don't want anything to do with me after this, I know it was my fault that her and so many others lost their lives last night." Harry said this knowing that the two people that he viewed as his adoptive parents should hate him as he hated himself. Mrs. Weasley came to him instead and rapped her arms around him in a warm motherly embrace, "It was supposed to be me, not her." Harry whispered through the tears as he collapsed into her arms.

"It's all right Harry. It's all right. It isn't you're fault. " Replied Mrs. Weasley.

"You were not her protector Harry, we were." Arthur said coming up to him and his wife, "If anyone should feel guilty at her death it should be us. Especially me." He finished.

"No, it was my responsibility to keep her safe because I love her, it was my responsibility to keep them all safe. It should've been me, not her. It was supposed to be me. It was always supposed to be me." Not knowing what to do anymore he pushed himself away from Mrs. Weasley and she shuddered at the sight of what she saw, as he looked like death standing in front of her. Arthur walked up to him in disbelief and then he noticed that his eyes weren't the same color that he and his wife have known and always loved. His eyes terrified them to the point that neither could look for too long. Mr. Weasley spoke instead and told him the one thing they hoped would give him the peace that the bravest man they have ever known deserved "Harry, what happened to Ginny is nobodies fault, she died fighting for what she believed the most in. She along with Remus and Tonks and all the others died for freedom, not because of you or for you. You were the hope for us all Harry. Do not tarnish what they sacrificed with your guilt."

Sensing that, it was a good time to end their conversation they turned and started to walk back up to the castle leaving him to think about what they had said but turned to say one last thing to him before leaving, "I just want you to know son, that no matter what happens in the future you are family, our son, and you always will be."

"I don't know what to do for him." said an exasperated Hermione, "What can we do for him professor? He needs our help. Does anybody have an ideas?" she asked the group of people standing around the Head Masters office, trying to figure out what they were going to do with the situation concerning Harry. They had called this little meeting in the office because of the conversations that Hermione, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had with him. All of the remaining Order of the Phoenix was there and also some of the DA as well, because they all felt a sense of pull towards Harry.

"I think that we should give him the space that he needs to except all of what has occurred. If we rush him, he may push us away and never come back us." Professor McGonagall explained, "as to your other concern, for that I have no answer for you. "

"His heart is broken Minerva." Professor Dumbledore chimed in from his portrait hanging up from behind the desk. "I think that has a lot to do with why the color has left them." Silence followed as they all contemplated what Dumbledore said before he continued. "We must all prepare our selves for the events that are about to unfold. Harry lost the person he cared for the most, and he will take his revenge. And I pity Tom for when he does." Silence fell after Dumbledore's last statement.

What seemed like an eternity Minerva finally broke the ice, and a change of subject, "So what should our plan of action be for taking down Voldermort and rounding up all the rest of the Death Eaters that managed to escape." She said this in the direction of Kingsley Shacklebolt the new appointed Minister of Magic.

"There will be no 'our', just me" A voice rang out from across the room. Standing in the doorway was Harry, with a look that bored in to everyone in the room. "I'm going to hunt Riddle and the rest of them down. I will be making my preparations to set out in a month's time." Harry said with the rage evident in his eyes. Looking directly at Ron and Hermione he told them the one thing they expected him to say, "You are not going to come with me, nobody is. This is something I will be doing alone."

"And what do you plan on doing when you do manage to find them Harry?" came the stern voice of professor McGonagall.

"I would like to know that as well Harry." Came from Hermione as she crossed the room to come up to him, Ron following right behind her.

Looking around the room Harry realized that they didn't like the idea of him traipsing around the country looking for dark wizards. Much to the dismay of the men and women the taking up the office (including the portraits of the old headmasters and headmistresses) staring at him intently, he kept the silence going until it seemed they couldn't take it anymore. "There is no other option for me Kingsley, I have always wanted to be an Auror but this takes precedence for me. I have to get them, and I am gong to wipe them all out. And I will not be turning in any prisoners into the authorities. I'm going to kill any I find, and I will leave Riddle for last. " He voiced to the group but looked at Kingsley the whole time.

"Harry." Hermione said through sad glistening eyes, the sound of her voice was evident the she was sympathetic to how he felt. "You can't go after them like this Harry. If you do, you are going to regret this for the rest of your life."

Looking back at her through his now pale grey eyes, he spoke with conviction and determination that was helping sedate the raging lion his magical self was struggling to keep in check. "My life was over the second the green light her Ginny. I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear, but there it is. Consider this is my official resignation from Hogwarts professor." Harry said to a bewildered Professor McGonagall. With that he left the office and them with more questions that answers.

As soon as he stepped out of the office Harry knew that they would continue to wonder what their course of action against him would be. Harry also knew that he would have to come up with a suitable plan of action on his own, and quickly if they were going to try to stop him. Devising a plan was never his strong suit that belonged to Hermione, but with the circumstances the way things are he highly doubted she would help him. His friends have been through hell and back with him, but the line that he was about to cross was somewhere he knew his friends would not follow this time. That thought truly saddened him, that after all the devastation he and his friends have been through but now he would truly be on his own.

"So what's the plan now?" Hermione asked a very subdued group around the room. When no one spoke up, she decided that she would take the first step. "I for one do not think Harry is in his right mind at the moment, but with that being said, I think that he is going to do something with us or without us, and the approval of authority has never meant anything to him anyways so why should we not help him? Steer him in a different direction?"

It was professor Dumbledore that spoke next and what he said amazed her. "I think what miss Granger has said has some truth and value in it. Harry has just lost the most important person in his life that he planned on having a future with. Now with that gone he feels lost, enraged, and alone." When Dumbledore stopped the room went silent once again for a few moments. It was Hermione once again who broke the silence, "Then what ever he decides I will go with him, with the approval of the Ministry or without, I will not abandon him now." Saying this drew all eyes on her, but she did not waver, instead she stood up and look around at everyone. Lastly her gaze rested on Kingsley, speaking to everyone but directing it at him, "I'm sorry everyone, but I cant let Harry go through all this by him self." Walking toward the door, she turned back to look at the Minister, "Personally I think you should let Harry join the Auror department, or give him his own team, because if you don't he's just going to find others to join his cause, and I don't think he will have to much trouble doing it." As she reached for the door Kingsley finally spoke up, "Your right Hermione, I can't stop him because he is the savior of the world as we know it and the people will always side with him. So yes, to answer your question I will let him join the Auror department. Or if he so chooses I will allow him to have his own team of recruits hand picked by him, with no rules or protocols to follow except the ones that he deems fit. Agreed?" He asked looking around the room at all the faces looking back at each other and then at him all saying at once. "Agreed."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 -

Waking up in the dark grimly destitute that made Grimmauld Place a horrific dwelling wasn't exactly the most warm and welcoming, but after the battle it was the perfect place to sort out all of the mixed emotions that Harry was feeling. He was still a little shook up by the events that took place inside the Headmasters office after the battle, and how he spoke to the people he had respected and grew to love as his family. With a morose feeling of loosing all of his said family, he thought back to the actions that decided his life a month ago.

The battle… the worst moments in Harry's young life was in the Great Hall where he faced the monster that destroyed the world that everyone knew. It was there Harry lost everything that he held dear to him; and it was there he lost the love of his life. People might ridicule him for thinking he was in love at such a young age but he didn't care what other people thought. Nothing else mattered to him anymore, food felt like ash in his mouth and water grew dry as sand leaving him even thirstier than before. He received an abundance of letters from his friends that went unanswered and as a resulted pile of owl post scattered the floor of his room. He presumed the letters were from his friends trying to get him to come out of hiding, but he just didn't have the strength to face all of the Weasley's. He knew that he would have to face them soon, but now wasn't the time. He had too much rage, and hatred in his heart. So for now the mail would go unanswered.

Having a plan already formed in his head, Harry would inform the Order and DA he would be leaving alone. _Deciding he would take Kreacher, since he was the only being alive that could give him the company he felt he needed for the mission he would be embarking for,_ _then he would go to the Weasley's to say his good buys_.

Sitting at home contemplating his plan was making him stir crazy; he was in a state of mind that demanded action. Going over the events of the battle wasn't helping matters much either; he could still feel the power that exploded out of him from the sight of Ginny being hit with the killing curse. He could still remember the look of pure terror on everyone's face, including Riddle's. He thought the power he used would dissipate leaving him with the magical essence he always had, but he was wrong; it stayed with him feeding off of his anger. That night was the first time he had used the killing curse, and Bellatrix was right in saying that you needed to truly really mean it in order to use those spells. The most astonishing part was he cast it non-verbally, and with the amount of raw power he used nearly destroyed the Great Hall. It was like a volcano eruption, of a never-ending supply of power. It scared him to the core, but he relished in it knowing that his newfound power would be the catalyst to end it all. He finally acquired the power 'he knows not' and with Voldermort still alive, and the rest of his followers now openly running rapid around the country killing anyone magical or otherwise as they come across them he knew he was going to need it.

Harry's planning and self-loathing was interrupted when Kreacher apparated into his bedroom with a very disgruntled Hermione next to him. Looking down at the form on the floor being held by his elf, Harry's curiosity of how she managed to persuade the old elf to bring her here when he had specifically told him not to let anybody in. "Let her up Kreacher, she's ok. Can you go and make us some breakfast please?" Harry ordered the ancient elf seeing him disapparate to the kitchen. Harry walked the few feet across to give his best friend a hand to her feet, noticing her tear stained face. "What's happened?" He asked, lifting her head up to him.

Looking up at the only person in the world that has truly understood her, she took a deep breath and told him what was discussed in McGonagall's office, "Kingsley is giving you two choices, the first is joining the Auror's, but in doing so you will have to follow all of the rules and regulations accordingly. " she left out the end result of giving him his own team, hoping her gut was wrong in knowing he will never accept those terms.

"I had a feeling he would let me in the end. But my answer is going to be no." He said.

"I knew you weren't going to accept it. Kingsley's courter offer was, giving you your own team. Hand picked by you to do with in what ever way you want. You will have unlimited power in this time of war to do with as you deem fit. In other words he is creating a special forces and wants you at the command. The ministry will have no say in the tactics you incorporate." She finished. Harry was surprised at the lengths Kingsley was willing to go, but he sensed that she was leaving something out, "What aren't you telling me Hermione?"

Knowing he would be able to tell she wasn't telling him everything; especially since he knew her better than anyone alive, she took another deep breath trying not to tear up again, "I know you said that you were going to do this alone Harry, but with all that Kingsley is willing to give you I just hope that you stay on board with this."

"That's not what it is. What is it Hermione?" Harry said a little more forcefully this time.

"I want to go with you, where ever you go. With what ever you decide to do, I will stand by you Harry, now and always." She said this staring into the pale grey eyes of her best friend waiting for his response nervously as she tried to read his expressionless face that she once knew so well.

"I was afraid you were going to ask that." He said. "I just thought that it would be Ron and you both here." As Harry said this he noticed the tears in Hermione's eyes start to fall freely, knowing the answer to his question, he wasn't surprised that Ron had abandoned him again. Harry knew Ron had family to tend to, and he also knew that Ron would have been a problem if he did go with them because he knew how Hermione felt. Harry knew she was harboring feelings toward him, and he wished that he could reciprocate them, but his heart belonged to another. She was and would remain his best friend he thought sadly.

"Your loyalty to me has never waivered Hermione and for that I can never thank you enough. But I don't think this is a task that you want to join me in."

"Harry, I will follow you to the ends of this earth, always." She finished. Saying this he remembered Snape in the pensive, in the loyalty he showed his mother. He didn't want to take her along with him, but Kingsley's offer was a great advantage for him. In the end he knew that taking Hermione would be the best thing for him at staying normal, and to the fact that she was the most brilliant witch of her age couldn't hurt either.

"Okay Hermione, you can come with me, but under one condition. What ever I saw goes, if I tell you an idea we build on it and see where it leads." Seeing her smile while nodding to his demands, gave him a small lift in his mood. "Okay then I will go to Kingsley and tell him I accept his offer to form the special-forces team."

"Would you like to stay here and help me pick them?" He asked eager to get started.

Harry and Hermione spent the next few days trying to come up with a suitable list of names they thought had the necessary skill set they needed for their team. So far they had 4 names they were considering: Seamus Finnegan, Neville Longbottom, Susan Bones, and Harry's ex Cho Chang. So far the people on the list were all members of the DA, and where people he knew could be trusted. They spent many days considering how many people they wanted on their team, with the end result being they will take on as many people that want to join the fight, and if they get too many for one team then they would simply split them up to form another team. While the two of them racked their brains thinking of different people they thought would be an asset, the large elephant in the room was getting bigger knowing it wasn't the same without Ron with them.

"I think it's time to give Kingsley a visit." Harry told Hermione at dinner one night.

"I was wondering when you were going to." She responded to him with a slight smile. She knew the dead line Harry gave Kingsley was fast approaching, so she wasn't surprised in the least. "When do you plan on seeing him?" She asked.

"In the morning." He replied putting more mashed potatoes on his plate.

After dinner they spent the rest of the night going over what he would tell Kingsley the next day, writing down the list of names into categories of who they think will say yes and who they think will be a maybe. When Hermione left for her room Harry spent the remainder of the night starring at the ceiling, going back to his old habit of replaying the battle. It wasn't until he heard Hermione knocking on his door to wake him up for the meeting that he realized he didn't get any sleep that night.

"Hello everyone, I called this impromptu press conference because I wanted you all to hear this from me first." Kingsley told the entire Ministry of Magic standing around the atrium. Today was the day he would unveil his plan to attack the Death Eaters.

Scanning around the room he locked eyes with the new head of the Auror department John Dawlish as he was saying this, and the man gave him a stiff nod of support before he continued, "I wanted to let you all know that I am forming a division of a special task force to work out side of the Ministry. Code name Phoenix."

He let this sink in with all of the mummers carrying all around the room finally stopped, "I want to implement this before we have another battle, because we need fighters that will take the fight to Voldemort. It will be like the military of today in other countries all over the Muggle world, and it will have a ranking system with only one person at the head of it. There will be no Ministry interference during this time of war incase the Ministry is infiltrated again, and the person in charge of the Army will answer to no one but him or herself. Now that being said, after the war is over the Wizengamot will have the authority to reduce its role, but bare in mind that the days of us having to rely on make shift groups to protect us from our enemies are over! We will rally our forces and we will fight back the terror of the dark, and we will avenge our fallen." Loud applause and flashing lights of the reporters taking pictures carried on throughout the Atrium, to signify the start of a new era in Wizarding Britain.

"Minister, who will lead this task force?" One reporter yelled out.

"Now there is only one person capable of carrying us out of the darkness, and to lead our army is an individual that has faced what we are up against time and time again. He is the only one alive who has fought Voldermort personally and lived. He is known throughout the wizarding world as the savior, and I have heard some have said he is the phoenix that rises from the ashes. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to give you the man to lead us: Commander Harry Potter!"

Walking up to the podium after the Minister conveyed his announcement, Harry looked every bit the part of being in charge of an army. Completely garbed in white battle hardened dragon scale robes that stopped at mid thigh, he looked out to all of the Ministry officials and media members with a serious and stern look upon his face. He wanted to display a hard look that would leave all the skeptics no ammunition to doubt his leadership. The message he gives in the next few minutes will determine the out come of whether or not the idea of having an army is a good thing or bad.

"Harry, is the Wizarding world to believe that you are taking control of the Ministry through a military action?" drawing his eye with the first question directed toward him was Rita Skeeter, with her ever dangerous quick quotes quill floating right above her shoulder ready to fill in the answer she wants from the one he gave.

"I am not here to take over, that is first and foremost." Harry said with distain in his voice cutting across all the other questions being fired by the other reporters.

"I am here not to bring justice, or bring us salvation. I am not here to make any arrests to stand trail, or police the streets on the wizarding world. I am here to seek revenge for anyone and everyone that has lost somebody because of Riddle and his band of savages." Giving a brief pause to gaze out to all the people in the audience Harry looked at Kingsley off to the side of the stage, and then at Hermione who gave him an approving nod.

"Who is Riddle?" A reporter asked.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle is the real name of the half blood wizard known as Lord Voldemort." Harry simply replied shocking everyone in attendance.

Not waiting for another question Harry continued on with his speech.

"This army will be a ferocious fighting group of wizards and witches, and Riddle and his group will receive no quarter from us. Our main course of action will be to seek out and eliminate all Death Eaters and those that kill in the name of Tom Riddle." Another pause to catch his breath Harry could see that this was coming as quite a shock to all the media members in attendance.

"Any questions?" he finished giving them the floor knowing they would have many.

"Commander Potter, will this army be voluntary or will there be some sort of a draft like in the muggle armies around the world?" The question came from a short dark haired woman Harry had not seen before, and had intrigued him with the use of his new title.

"It will be completely voluntary, but once you sign on the dotted line they belong to the cause and there will be no backing out until the war is over. Next question."

"When will you start?" shouted another.

"Personally I will start immediately." He responded.

Harry answered questions like that for the next hour or so until Kingsley called it to an end and ushered him and Hermione back into his office. Offering them chairs to sit in, he took a seat behind his desk and pulled out a bottle of amber liquid from one of his drawers along with three glasses. After pouring an ample amount for all of them, and taking a long drink from it he ended the awkward silence.

"That wasn't as painful as I thought it was going to be. They took it pretty well I think." He finished taking another drink from his glass.

"Only time will tell if they like the idea of it now since it's only words, but when it takes a physical form it may be a different story." Conceded Harry behind his own glass of firewhiskey.

"I agree. So have you any idea who you think will join you?" Kingsley asked with raised eyebrows.

Knowing this would come up in their meeting Hermione pulled the list out of her ever-faithful beaded bag that she has kept with her for over a year and handed it to him. Harry looked at him carefully while he took in the short list of names, because those names where people that have lost and sacrificed a lot through this war and he knew he could count on every one of them.

"So, these names are the ones you want to have in a leadership role right? Because this doesn't seem to be a lot of soldiers for an army Harry." Kingsley said looking at Harry thinking whether they would sufficient enough for the task.

"Well I think they will get the job done to my satisfaction for now, but I don't think we will have enough recruits at this time to give them their own units. I expect them to take on a leadership role with in, as senior officers of the task force once they are trained to how I want them." Silence followed them as Kingsley weighed the pros and cons of having such young people in all the leadership roles before speaking his mind, " And the Order? There are some good leaders in that group as well Harry, with a lot more experience then everyone named here?"

Taking a small drink from his whisky and clearing his throat, " I trust these people with my life, I will except Order members if that is the path they choose, but only if this is their only priority, and same goes for the DA members. There are too many Order members that have other priorities, and when we go on the road I don't want any loose ties to hang them up."

"And these loose ties?" Kinsley asked.

"I don't want them to have any children to take care of, because I want this to be the only thing that they need to worry about. This will be there job and their family, and they will be receiving payment, because there is a good chance that most of them will not be coming out of this alive."

"Very well Harry, I just hope you consider it." Saying this he got up from his seat indicating that the meeting was at a close. "Good luck Harry, Hermione." Kingsley said as they left his office.

Looking around the dank and dismal sitting room of Grimmauld place, were five individuals that were chosen to lead with in Phoenix unbeknownst to them. As they looked around, each person curious of the reason Harry had asked them to his house. Each person looking at each other they realized just how much they all have grown in the past year not physically but mentally with a level of maturity that usually came with people facing life or death experiences. Although all of the scars from the battle were gone from the surface, they still remained within since seeing friends and family being killed or wounded.

None more were surprised than Neville to get an invitation, even thought he had proven himself in battle as well as though-out the school year facing the Carrows. It was another surprise to read in the prophet about the Potter's Army as the paper had called it being formed in order to openly attack against You Know Who's forces. The moment he read it, he felt the instant pull to join Harry in the fight. He felt it was his duty to his patents as well as the entire world, to bring down as many Death Eaters he could before they got him. He saw himself differently now after all he faced this year; he felt a little of how Harry felt with a need to protect others, and step into action as result.

As Cho Chang looked around the room searching for Harry, she felt a little confusion as to why she was here. They hadn't really had the chance to talk about their break up, and how she cared for him she was throughout the year he was missing and hoped she could help him with his feelings on the death of Ginny since she knew what he was going through having experienced them herself. She still harbored feelings toward him and would like it if he would reciprocate someday in the future. But most of all she just wanted the chance to fight along side him, help do what the Ministry wasn't able to do.

Of all the people here at this little meeting that didn't understand why they were here was Susan Bones. She was in the DA sure but she and Harry weren't close friends like the boy's and Hermione, and although she would have liked to be with him she didn't exactly have that history that Cho Chang had with him at one point. She always wanted to be with him in an intimate way knowing it would always be a fantasy that would never come true. She was content to be his friend, and to stick by him through whatever danger came forward.

Seamus was feeling very confident in the task he was hoping Harry would ask them to be apart of. He was going to volunteer for the army regardless if he was asked, he felt he owned it to the Muggle side of him to contribute more then what he did the previous year at school. He told himself that he would do anything and everything that Harry told him to do, and he wouldn't hesitate to do it. He was Irish, and the Irish knew a thing or two about getting into fights.

As Hermione sat in her plush velvet chair she realized they were all here unaware to what Harry had in mind for them. Understanding why Harry felt the need to take on all the world's problems, she was a little reluctant to involve any more people that he wasn't particularly close too. Knowing how he would feel she kept her thoughts to herself since they would only be counter productive to the task at hand. She pushed the thoughts away as her being upset that Ron had chosen to step away from their trio, leaving her with an eerie incomplete feeling. She felt sad about Ron but she also felt a sense of calmness of being around Harry; the confidence he felt toward this mission was inspiring and infectious. The people sitting around the room didn't know why they were here but she could see it in their eyes that they would do what ever Harry will ask of them. He was the most natural born leader she thought she would ever see in her lifetime. Dumbledore was a leader that rallied people to a cause, but nothing to the extent to what Harry was capable of. She had seen him inspire hundreds to fight at the drop of a hat just by saying 'it's time.' and he could take other the entire world if he so chooses. He was the true leader of the wizarding world; he just didn't realize it yet.

Peering over the balcony banister looking down at the group that will be his new lieutenants was Harry. And if they said 'yes' would be tasked with leading people into battle, giving orders that may possibly cause people harm or injury, and also send people to their deaths. It was a hard truth to except, but it is the way Tom Riddle has turned the world into, and it was the world Harry promised himself he would change.

As he looked down at the people he has grown to respect from the knowledge he gained of their roles throughout the school year while he was on the run. They would be the people he would trust above all others, they will be his own inner-circle and unlike Riddle he would kill and possibly die for each and every one of them.

Deciding his little group had had enough time to bask in their bewilderment of the reason of their presence here at Grimmauld place, Harry slowly made his way down the stairs into the sitting room. Entering the room they all rose from their seats greeting him with puzzled eyes, and after all the pleasantries were shared, Harry bid them to retake their seats so they could get started.

"I asked you here today to ask a question." Harry told them after he took a few minutes to decide how he was going to ask them exactly.

"Okay Harry, shoot." Neville responded with an eager smile across his face.

"Well, you all know that the Ministry has created a special task force with me at its head?" He asked looking from face to face trying to get read on them before he continued. "I want to offer you all a position with in it, to serve as my lieutenants." To say that the response he received was of excitement would have been an understatement; there was shouts of euphoria from everyone.

"Hang on before you say yes, because I want you all to know exactly what the role entails before you say yes, okay?" Gaining all of their nods of cooperation before continuing he sighed and finished the rest of the offer. "It will not be an easy road ahead of you if you are to except this. You all will have a large target on your backs from here on out."

He paused a moment to collect his thoughts when he heard a faint whisper come from Neville "It doesn't matter Harry." Then saying loudly, "It doesn't matter if we had a target on our backs, because we would still be there for you not matter what the situation is. I will stand with you Harry, until the end." Neville finished with conviction.

Looking around the room and seeing all the nods of agreement, he gave off a huge sigh of relief he must have been holding the entire time he was talking to them, ending with a sleight grin across his face. Turning towards Hermione he asked the question he had been holding on to for what seemed like years.

"I want you to be my second in command. To take over if something were to happen to me." Hermione looked at him with wide shocked eyes before she slightly nodded her head in agreement jumping out of her chair hugging him. "Thank you Harry, I wont let you down I promise."

"Good, now that's over with."

Calling Kreacher to prepare dinner for him and his guests, he delved into the plan of action he was thinking of during his month long solitude before Hermione joined him.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3-

Harry's mind has been in constant turmoil since Ginny died. Now, with the added pressure, he just wasn't sure that this was the path he wished for himself or his friends.

Since his little speech at the Ministry however, it left him feeling that it was his best and only option.

Although he has been under continuous scrutiny by the Order of the Phoenix, which frustrated him even more, since they, more than anyone else, should understand what he was trying to do.

They've been attempting to infiltrate his team and push one of their own into taking control from him, thinking he wasn't in the right state of mind.

The person at the forefront of this plan was none other than his adoptive mother, Molly Weasley, claiming she had already lost two children and didn't want to lose anymore. Not to mention she thought he was far too young to be in charge of something of this magnitude.

Harry thought back on the argument he had with the Order the week prior.

"_I know you have lost __a great deal__ because of this war Mrs. Weasley__.__But__ I am going to kill him, and every single Death Eater th__at crosses__ my path. And if I a die trying, then so be it, I welcome it gladly." He told her with a hardened expression._

"_That's not funny Harry! I know you don't mean that." Mrs. Weasley practically cried._

"_I'm__ already__ dead inside__!__So __what does it matter." He confessed to her._

To say she was completely shocked was an understatement. Luckily for her, the discussion was picked up by the Order saying they have more experience in fighting this type of war.

Although Harry knew their arguments carried some weight, he had to put a stop to the discussion. Letting everyone know that he was in charge and there was nothing anybody could do to change it. That if they didn't support it, there was no reason for them to be involved.

Since that last meeting he pushed all Order members from his team, much to the dismay of the Order itself

He still wondered if he had been right about the last words he had said to them

"_You guys have been fighting this war for to long and have gotten no where__.__ I think its time for us to give it a try now. You've had your chance, and now it's our turn."_

_"__This time is__ going to be different __than before.__This__ time the fight will be taken to the Death Eaters__!__No more__ of the cat and mouse game that has plagued everyone for years__." _

In the time when the Order was in charge of the war effort Harry felt out of the loop with everything, not once knowing what the plan of action was. And somehow he always found himself caught in the middle, forced to do things on his own. When it was just the three of them on the road with the task Dumbledore gave them, it was easier not having anyone else to take care of, which was how he liked it. It was easier to risk everything when you're alone. But Hermione would never let him truly be alone, which was both a gift and a curse.

The first weeks of the formation was spent finding out everybody's skills, learning their strengths and weakness's. Harry noticed they were getting tired way to fast for his liking. He started them on endurance training, running laps around the lake and through out the grounds.

The next step would be to determine when they were to put their training to the test. Then decide what the first plan of action would be against Riddle and his followers. In the end Harry decided it was best to just dive in, since he wasn't that keen on making plans in the first pace.

He gave himself a timeline of four months of training until he figured Phoenix would be ready for actual missions, starting with a reconnaissance mission to get their feet wet.

This up coming adventure was all the team could talk about. It was also beginning to take break their concentration during training.

Taking a short break in his morning run Harry contemplated what the group was missing. He knew it had to be something that the Order didn't have before, but felt it needed to be something big. They needed something that would bring them all closer and unify them as a team, but separate from the Order and everybody else.

At the same time, it had to break through their trance of what this first mission was doing to them. A little smirk crept on his face as he thought of a way that might get their head back in the game, he started to run again with a sense of urgency, determined to set things in motion.

"Kingsley, I need a favor." Harry told him as he strolled into his office.

"Sure Harry what do you need?" the old Auror asked.

"Uniforms. I think it would be good if we had uniforms, nothing too fancy, just something to bring us together as a unit. And weapons. Especially me since I don't have a functioning wand anymore." Harry said sitting down.

"I'm listening." Kingsley replied.

"Dragon hide armor, black to start with. we need something light to travel fast in, and they absolutely have to be durable. Any ideas?" he asked the veteran wizard.

With a slow smile coming to his lips, Kingsley nodded his head knowing just what the young commander needed for his team. "As a matter of fact I do have an idea, and I think you going to like it. As for a new wand, I think we can talk to Ollivander about something for our new commander in arms."

Kingsley began listing everything he had in terms of cloaks and robes that were reinforced with magic to make them more like armor than cloaks. "On another note I have a little news for you Harry, now that you're of age you're now entitled to you're full inheritance."

This news came as a slight shock to Harry. "What inheritances?" he asked thinking he had already received all his inheritance his first year at Hogwarts.

"The extent of the Potter fortune is now yours Harry, amongst other things." Kingsley told his shocked friend with a small smile on his face. The two men talked for what seemed like hours before Harry took his leave to go back to Hogwarts feeling very pleased with the efforts they put together for his friends.

"Hey everybody I need you all down stairs!" Harry yelled up the stairs. Hearing them start their dissent he went back into the common room to get ready for the surprise he had for them.

"What's up Arry?" Seamus inquired as he made his way into the room noticing a very large chest in the center of it.

"I've got a surprise for all of you, but I want to wait for everyone else first." Harry said sitting down to wait for the others. As they all made their way into the room he beckoned them to sit down in the seats he arranged around in a circle. Seeing all of the looks he was getting, he started.

"Okay, I have something that the Minister and I have been trying to come up with for all of us. Seeing as we can't go into battle in our everyday clothes, we thought a uniform would be more suitable. So if you would please follow me into the trunk." He said as he stood up and opened it. He then put each leg in and fell, completely vanishing from sight.

Getting up and following their commanders orders they too jumped in the chest, and immediately noticed they were in a huge room. One similar to a large hall, adorned with lights covering the walls, illuminating what could only be described as a medieval armory.

"What is this Harry?" Hermione asked him in a shocked voice.

"This ladies and gentlemen is were you will find your weapons and your uniform. I will say this once and only once, we are at war, and in times of war people die, plain and simple. Right now we need all the help and protection as we can get. Now, without further ado." He gave a simple wave of his hand, and the rest of the chamber lit up. Revealing black dragon hide coats hanging all along the wall, waiting for their prospective owners to come claim them. Walking up to them in excitement they took them down to inspect.

"Dragon hide? Wow these are incredible Harry, how did you get them?" Neville asked in wonder.

"Kingsley did us a favor."

With further inspection of the cloaks the team saw they had pockets lining the inside, and the place where the tag should be had their name etched on it. On the lapel was a symbol of their rank within the army, each one having a small silver star. On the back of the cloak was a blazing phoenix insignia in silver.

"This cloak represents us and who we are. We are the elite. Both within the Ministry and outside it, and we will be the best! You are to wear this at all times. In public the hoods must be up until the war is over, you will find that they have been charmed to lower only when you lower them. This will help protect your identity from those that will use those you love against you. Now." Harry said walking towards the wall to pick up his own, it was the same white cloak that he wore at the ministry press conference, showing his rank of five stars in a circle cluster, "Pick your poison." He told them heading back to the latter fastening the cloaks belt around himself and climbing back out.

"Where are you going Harry?" came Hermione's voice from down in the chest at the foot of the latter.

"I have an appointment at Gringotts be back in a bit." He told her as he walked out of the common room. Once outside the main gates of the castle he turned on the spot and disapparated.

"Good evening Mr. Potter." Came Tom the barman as he wiped the counter with the sordid rag spreading the dirt and grime further along.

"Good evening Tom." Harry responded walking to the back where the main entrance to Diagon Alley stood. Never having done this without a wand before, he just waved his hand thinking his intensions and watched in relief as the solid brick wall changed to form an archway leading to the alley.

Pulling the hood of his cloak down lower to further conceal his identity he made his way to the end of the alley towards the newly reopened shop of Ollivander the wand maker.

"I wondered when I would be seeing you again Mr. Potter." The old wand maker claimed as Harry walked into his shop.

"Hello sir, I've run into a bit of trouble with my wands." Harry told him with a wide smile as he remembered the first time he walked through those same doors when he was a curious eleven year old.

"Have you now? And what sort of trouble would this be?" Came the old man.

"My original is broken as I'm sure you remember, and the other I was master of was destroyed."

"Phoenix feather core very strong magically, only two in existence but you already knew that. Hmm, let me think, I do not advise a traditional wand for you Mr. Potter. Your magical essence has grown considerably in the recent months and is too vast, there fore a wooden structure will not be able to hold it. But no matter, I think I have something that will work for you, though I never thought I would be able to sell this one." The old wand maker was talking more to himself then he was to Harry at this point as he walked to the back of the room, reappearing minutes later holding a long velvet box.

"This my dear boy is the very best wand I have in this shop. My fathers father made this wand, and no one has been able to wield it. Lets give it a try, shall we?" He said with flare opening the box to reveal the most sinister looking wand Harry had ever laid eyes on.

The structure base was not made of wood, but appeared to be carved out of bone. Starting at the tip, which was a sharp point, as it slowly lead down the shaft it became slightly thicker, but leveled out three quarters of the way down.

From the tip down, it had a very subtle curve underneath until it reached the handle while the top stayed straight. Intricate little markings etched into the bone, and at the handle was a slightly thicker part of the carving twisting in a spiral, ending with a short spike protruding a half-inch. Harry thought this was a complete work of art, and had never seen its equal.

"15 inches long, nigh unbreakable. This wand was carved from the bone of a dragons jaw, and the core was taken from the heartstring of three different dragons: the Chinese Fireball, the Common Welsh Green, and the Norwegian Ridgeback. It took five long years to make this, over three hundred and twenty years ago." A large smile spread across Ollivander's face as he lifted the box so Harry could pick it up.

As he took the wand into his, all the lights flickered in and out, with an almost spot light brightness shining on Harry. His hands started vibrating with the amount of power emulated between the host and wand as they became fused together. Volts of electricity crackled around him with what could only be described as an electrical power surge.

"Th…This is unbelievable! Which dragon was the bone taken from?" Harry asked once everything returned to normal.

"The Hungarian Horntail Mr. Potter, which of course you are familiar with." He smiled back at Harry.

"Yeah, you could say that." He responded in a state of disbelief.

"I have something else you might find useful." The old wand maker said disappearing into the back room.

Walking toward the towering building made of white marble that was Gringotts Bank, was a man dressed in all white taking the steps to the front doors two at a time. Opening the door the first sight seen was a giant chandelier made of gold and crystal, hanging above an immense hall. Halfway into the hall were tall counters, adorned with desk lamps and gold measuring scales made of gold and granite.

Seeing the first desk open, the man ignored the stares he was receiving and walked to the goblin sitting in a very tall chair.

"I need to get into my vault, and talk to someone about my new situation." The man finished.

"And who are you?" The goblin asked snidely.

"Harry Potter." Whispered Harry.

"Very well." Turing around he told another goblin something in Gobbledygook, before turning back too Harry.

"Follow my colleague please, he will lead you to our branch manager to discuss your account." The Goblin told him.

Trailing the goblin through a series of turns and into a small office decorated with several lavish Goblin made objects. The Goblin's desk was considerably large for someone with such a small stature, but Harry made no comment as he sat himself down in one of the chairs provided him.

"Mr. Potter, excuse me if I skip the pleasantries and get strait to business, we are here today because you have come of age. You are now able to access all of your accounts." Without waiting for a response the manger continued "You're trust vault, which you have had access too since becoming eleven years of age, contains roughly 350,000 Galleons, 200,000 Sickles, and 100,000 Knuts, the exact amount is on your account parchment. You have now come into possession of the Black family vault as well as the Potter family main vault. The Black family vaults consists of roughly 300.7 million Galleons, as well as the various heirlooms and artifacts the family has gathered over the years."

"The Potter family vault is the largest we have, seeing as the Potter family dates back further than any wizarding family currently alive today. The sum of this fortune consists of 7.5 billion Galleons, 2.3 million Sickles, and 4.7 million Knut's. Also included are the various properties, heirlooms and artifacts. Now Mr. Potter I would like to congratulate you for becoming the richest wizard in the history of the wizarding world." The Goblin finished leaving a very subdued Harry.

"How did I get all of that?" Harry asked.

"Your family is the oldest known family in the wizarding world, and as such has accumulated a vast amount of wealth over the ages. When marrying into different families the wealth followed after a death of the heir, not to mention the interest rate."

"Okay then I would like to have a couple of things done. First off I would like to have my trust vault renamed and given access to one Teddy Lupin and to have his grandmother, Andromeda Tonks, have control over it until he comes of age. Secondly I would like to transfer the entire sum of the Black family vault to the Weasley family to be split up evenly amongst all of them. I know their current vault cannot contain that much in it; I would like to have them take over the Black vault. And last, I would like to see the two newest vaults, starting with the Blacks so that I can take out the family heirlooms." Harry finished.

"As you wish Mr. Potter, just follow me." Sliding out of his chair he took the lead pulling a book out from the shelf to reveal a hidden doorway leading to a cart to take them away.

After the longest trip Harry had ever taken in this bank, including the most recent that involved a very angry dragon and an escape from this place, they made it to the Black Family vault.

"Here we are Mr. Potter." The goblin said as he brought the cart to a sudden halt. Clambering out of the cart Harry and the goblin made their way to a very large door.

"Place your hand on the door." The goblin proclaimed.

Doing as the goblin instructed, the hinges instantly creaked open, having been left dormant for almost two decades. When the door opened to reveal the inside, its contents were vast. Stepping through the open door Harry noticed the similarity between this room and where he hid the Prince's book in the Room of Requirement. The vault was a series of catacombs, Harry noticed as he and the goblin walked throughout taking in everything he saw. Mountains of gold as far as the eye could see, and everything closer to the door consisted of the various artifacts that the goblin spoke of earlier.

Realizing this would take far to long to do he had the Goblin transfer all the heirlooms instead, and climbed back into the cart to delve deeper to Potter vault.

Once there Harry repeated the opening process and stepped in, only to place an even more shocked look on his face.

The mountainous regions of gold, silver, and bronze seemed insurmountable. It was obvious he would never be able to spend a fraction of what was here, but money was never his lot in life anyway.

"The armory is over to the left Mr. Potter." Curiosity peeked he set out over to where the goblin pointed.

Walking in-between the isles that made up the armory, where racks upon racks of suits of armor, chain mail, helms, and a variety of different of weapons. Peeking over a small barrier, Harry spotted a long wooden box atop of a table.

Walking closer Harry noticed that the box had an engraving on the top but was unreadable due to all the accumulated dust. Clearing enough dust to see that what was etched in gold writing was a single name:_** POTTER**_.

Smiling, Harry opened the box revealing a sword. The pommel bearing the head of a lion on the emblem, whilst the handle was of a black leather crisscross design. The hilt of the sword featured an ornate rounded guard before the blade curved down to the tip. Completing the sword was a black leather sheath with black metal fittings and what looked like dragon hide harness that fastens around the waist.

When lifting it from its velvet encasing, all of the torches flickered out leaving both occupants in the dark. An eerie spherical glow began to enclose both Harry and the sword as he felt an overpowering energy begin to fill his mind, lifting him into the air. Pain surged through his body comparable only to the Cruciatus curse, and then a voice rang inside his head. An ancient voice he did not recognize.

"_Harry James Potter __! You__ are the last __of__my descendents.__ I am the first__ Potter,__ my name is Henry Godric Potter__,__ the first-born child of Ignotus Peverell and Elena Gryffindor. Before I was born my father changed our __surname,__ so that his greatest enemy could not find our family__.__My__ father had this sword commissioned to defend __our__ family after my birth. This sword has been passed down to the first born son of every generation since the time of my passing, but only those individuals born in the time of great peril will be able to take hold of its true power. _

_The sword in its entirety was __forged__with powerful and ancient__ magic__. A similar technique used by__ the Goblins__.__Forged__ from the fire breath of a dragon__,__ it__ is__ infallible as it can never be destroyed, and will never need to be sharpened__.__ The lion you see on the handle emblem is our family sigil. The sword contains all my knowledge __of__ magic and swordpla__y,__ as well as __all those who have wielded it__._

_By taking ownership of this sword you will become one__ with it.__You will bestowed with all__ the power of your ancestors__.__When__ there is danger you will feel it through the sword, as it __will become__a part__ of your very being. There is a great darkness blanketing the world Harry, which will only increase unless you take action against it like our great family has done time and time again. Good luck Harry and remember it has__ always__ been your destiny to be the champion of your world__, you must__embrace__ it. Let the sword guide you to stay virtuous, and strike true in the __hearts__ or your enemies. As __a__ beacon of hope __for__ all your people__,__ I __hereby __dub you__,__ the Lord of Light__,__ for now and __forever more."_

The voice of his ancestor faded away as fast as it had come, as his body was slowly lowered back to the ground. All the torches relit throughout the vault, once again illuminating everything in sight.

Feeling another object fuse its magical essence to him, to reveal more power than he had before, left him wondering if his body could take anymore magic. He felt the knowledge of all his ancestors fuse with his mind, seeing great battles and entire wars play through in his mind in the blink of an eye.

Grasping the sheath to buckle the harness to his waist he noticed the weightlessness of it, that was not what he was expecting from the sword. The next moment happened so fast it took him a few seconds to realize the sword and belt had vanished. Thinking it had disappeared he felt a strange urge to have the sword in his hand. He moved his hand to where the handle should've been and felt the strength of the sword coming back; feeling the solid form within his grasp he pulled it free for the first time.

Instead of seeing the normal cold grey steel of the single edged blade, the color of his family's sword was that of a blinding light that enveloped a pearl white blade. Mesmerized by this one of a kind make, he took notice of the name Potter engraved down the base of the blade on one side, and some type of ancient runes engraved down the other. Making a mental note to ask Hermione what it meant later, he slid it back into its sheath to watch it disappear once again.

"I'm done here." He stated walking back toward the entrance of the vault next to the goblin and into the cart. Thinking the odds were once again in his favor, he walked back into the goblins office with an all-new confidence in his position in this war.

Rigorous training became part of their everyday lives since their integration into Phoenix. From sun up to sun down they trained with Harry, who they soon found to be unbelievably knowledgeable in the arts of magic and weaponry. The physical strength training in which Harry had them start, was primarily long distance running to build up their stamina. He found it extremely important to be able to fight longer in battles. That was by far the hardest part. The magical aspect of their training included: rapid-fire spell casting, focusing on accuracy as well as pushing as much of their magical essence into the power of the spell. The magic was just as grueling as the physical part and it left them just as drained.

Thinking this was a necessity didn't change the fact that Hermione was growing more worried. She started noticing that when their day would end, Harry would continue to train for long hours into the night, and would be up long before any of them. The few times she was able to get a good look at him made her nervous. He had dark circles around his eyes, that were getting increasingly larger as the days passed, that made her wonder when the last time he actually slept was.

"He's pushing himself to far Neville, he wont be able to keep this up for long." Hermione said, hoping to find support to her claim as she sat in an overly stuffed armchair that was placed around the fireplace.

It was a bitter sweet surprise when they heard Hogwarts would be closed for the foreseeable future, but they would be able to use it as their base of operations.

Wanting seclusion from the rest of the staff still living there, they were given their own tower far away from the normal traffic of the castle.

Being able to sit by the fire in their own space after a long day spent training had proven to be a much-needed sanctuary. The Room of Requirement was the perfect training facility allowing them a wide verity of scenarios they might face in the field.

She loved sitting in this chair as it reminded her of the old Gryffindor common room when things were much simpler, when all she had to worry about was getting good grades. Although they were people from different houses, this room still had the warm colors of red and gold brazenly absorbing the majority of the décor of the room. The best thing about this tower was all houses were taken out of the equation at the request of their leader. Harry felt they were no longer segregated from houses, because they all were of one single banner, one sigil, and for one purpose.

"We need him to stay healthy, and not kill himself training." She told him.

"What do you mean he's pushing himself to far?" Neville asked.

Leaning in closer she told him everything she had seen one morning after following him, "He leaves the tower at least two hours before us to go running around the great lake, then he does push ups and sit ups, runs up and down the stairs, throughout the Quidditch pitch. He also goes into the Room of Requirement to do god knows what. All before he starts the training we all do together, and then he goes off on his own again after we're finished and does it all again. At this point I don't even know if he's sleeping at all. I mean have you seen him lately? He looks like he hasn't slept in weeks." She finished.

After hearing this Neville's eyes grew large in suprise, "I didn't know he was doing all of that. Should we say something to him Hermione? Because we need him-"

"I say leave em be guys." Seamus said walking over to them, after overhearing their conversation.

"Why?" Neville asked in exasperation.

"Because this is how he is dealing with his pain. He's pushing himself to his limit because he feels he failed Ginny, and he doesn't want to do it again with any of us. Harry's worst fear came true that night, and lets face it guys, when Ginny died his spirit died right along with her. Right now the only thing keeping him going is the thought of payback. Revenge is an evil monster when one choses to let it swallow them. And Harry has chosen his path, and nobody is going to deter him from it, not even you Hermione." Seamus said seriously.

"Then all the more reason to tell him something!" Hermione said a little more forcefully than she would have liked.

Shaking his head Seamus continued, "If we try and take this away from him I don't know how he'll handle it." He said, "He's on the edge right now and he's grasping at anything that takes his mind off of her, and this is his way of doin it. I have never seen someone more focused than he is right now, and we need that sense of urgency to keep us going. So I say again, leave him be guys. If we push him on this he might just decide to go through with this on his own." Seamus finished and walked out of the common room.

"What if he's right Hermione? What if we try to take this away from him and he breaks? We need him now more than ever, he's our strength in all of this and with out him we're nothing. We can help him when he's ready to talk it out or if he's willing to deal with it, but until then I'm with Seamus." He said and followed Seamus out the door.

Still not one to give up, especially since her best friends health was a concern. Knowing the boys were right, and he was using it as his crutch, Hermione knew if she took that away, there was no way of telling if he would survive it.

Thinking she should talk to McGonagall or Dumbledore's portrait about how best to handle this situation with Harry. She hoped they may have some insight to help her friend, she made her way to McGonagall's office.

Knocking lightly on the door, and hearing the quick reply to come in, she entered.

"Sorry to disturb you Professor, but I had to talk to somebody about Harry."

"I'm assuming this is about his rigorous training regiment he instilled in himself." She said as a statement and not a question.

"Yes, and I'm worried about him. What should I do?" Hermione inquired.

"I would advise you to do nothing at this time Miss. Granger." McGonagall responded.

Not expecting that answer, she slumped down in the chair feeling defeated. "I don't understand professor, why aren't we going to do anything?" she asked her mentor.

"Because your roommates are correct in their assumption when they said it would break him." She told her former student.

Looking back at McGonagall, she was surprised that she knew what was being said throughout Hogwarts.

"Do not worry about him too much Hermione, he will be fine in time." Professor Dumbledore proclaimed to her.

"And what if he doesn't come out of it okay, huh? Tell me that?" Hermione practically yelled.

"We all have the best intentions when it comes to Harry." He responded slowly.

"Yeah, and look where that has gotten him Professor. I know Harry better than anyone alive, and believe me when I tell you that it's only a matter of time before he cracks. And when he does God help the world because he has the power to change it forever." She told them as she left the office.

"I hope she's wrong Albus." McGonagall proclaimed.

"So do I Minerva, so do I." He finished, his voice full of sadness.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4-

**Here is a new chapter. From here on out will be a lot more action, and a lot more blood shed so please be advised.**

**I hate to sound like a broken record here but please remember to READ AND REVIEW.**

**Thanks to Osoyo702 for the great job beta reading for this story. **

**I own nothing; I just play with the characters involved thanks to the great JK Rowling. Happy reading everyone.**

Standing in front of the Hogwarts gates was the Phoenix Army. All waiting anxiously to depart on their first full combat mission after weeks of reconnaissance. All were staring at their commander, expecting some sort of pep talk to get their confidence up, and nerves down. Every member was fit for combat, garbed in custom fit dragon hide cloaks. They wore boots that stopped high up on the calf, and combat utility harnesses holding their weapons.

To the team it seemed Harry chose the blackest of nights for this adventure. The starless sky was devoid of any trace of light, and the moon was a small crescent. Aside from Harry the only way they were able to discern where the others were was the sounds of their billowing cloaks because of a strong gust of wind. Even in this darkness they could all see the determined stance he took, as he patiently waited for them to depart.

"I bet you're all wondering why I chose tonight to put our plan into action." Harry stated, and continued before anyone could comment. "Complete darkness is going to be our ally tonight. Using the black of night as a blanket, it will allow us to move freely with out being seen. Now, you all know the plan, and you all know who it is we're after." With a slight pause for emphasis, he looked in the shadows where their eyes should be, "No mistakes tonight. I want this to be in and out, kill if you have to, but leave at least one alive for questioning. Got it?" Seeing all their heads nod in agreement he gave the order to move. "We go on three." He told them, using his fingers to count down before they dissapparated.

Arriving seconds later in an alleyway off a main street in London, Harry took in their surroundings. Darkness and grime filled the alley. Fog and mist filled the air, a quick flick of Harry's wand cleared everyone's vision, and allowed a clear sight of the building they had been surveying.

"Okay everyone, you know the drill, so lets get to it." He said walking toward the back end of the alleyway with Hermione, while the others split into two more teams of two.

Neville and Cho apparated on to the roof and placed the anti-apparation wards over the surrounding area. Susan and Seamus went in through the side door.

As Harry and Hermione made their way to a small window they would be using, he wished they had a better way of communicating than the galleons. Just as the thought left his mind he remembered his practiced use of occlumency. Feeling the power surge through him gave him the urge to project his thoughts to his comrades using some form of telepathy. Pushing through the barriers of their minds until he felt himself squeeze in, he spoke his instructions. _"It's okay its Harry, we enter in five seconds on my mark, get ready."_ Mentally ticking five seconds away he told them to enter.

The moment he finished with the mental link, Hermione gave him a wide eye look of shock. Giving her a quick shake of his head to indicate he would tell her later, he pressed on. Pointing his wand at the window using a nonverbal spell, the window slowly began to open. Climbing though, Harry quickly checked the room, to find it empty as was planned.

Quickly moving to the door with Hermione at his side, he cracked it open to peek into the hallway. When Harry was about to step through, his fake galleon burned hot in his pocket. Pulling it out he read the message that was sent, "Come quick. Being over run. Top floor. Cho."

Turing back to Hermione he showed her the galleon. "We'll go quickly, but keep your eyes open." Not waiting for her answer he pulled the door open. The moment he was in the open, a steady barrage of spells shot at him from what seemed like the very walls. Without hesitation Harry held up his free hand putting up a shield, and with his wand hand fired back a volley of his own allowing Hermione to enter the hallway behind him.

After a few minutes of back and forth with the Death Eaters, Harry felt the sword's power enter his thoughts giving him the desire to fire a blasting spell. Without hesitation he reared his wand back, and screamed the strongest blasting spell he new of. Shouting the incantation as he drove his wand forward. "REDUCTO MAXIMA!"

What followed next in Hermione's mind was pure devastation. The blast radius was wide enough to hit all four Death Eaters, propelling them into the solid brick wall.

What was more shocking to Hermione was that Harry held the spell on them, not willing to let them free. "Harry stop! You're going to kill them." She shouted at him.

Looking into the face of her best friend, she saw that was exactly what he was trying to do. As he kept the blast on them she noticed, from what she could see of his lower face, that he was at complete ease. She then realized that as devastating this power was, he was still holding back.

Taking a deep breath Harry pushed all of his magic into the spell, giving it more power. A flash of pure energy, like a bolt of lightning catapulted through the spell already being fired. The reinforced spell blasted through, sending bricks, plaster, and wooden shards exploding throughout the hallway, showering down on them until they hit Harry's shield causing them to disintegrate. When the dust had settled there was a large hole in the wall going through the back of where the alleyway ends.

Hermione stood shell shocked at the destruction her friend caused. She wasn't sure whether to be impressed at his magical prowess or scared out of her mind.

"I can't… I can't believe you just…you just killed them. How could you do that?" She stammered.

"It needed to be done. That's four less for us to worry about. Lets go, Neville and Cho need our help."

Opening a door adjacent to where they were standing he found the stairwell, and sprinted to the top floor. When they reached the top they found Neville, Cho, Susan, and Seamus in a full fledged battle with at least fifteen Death Eaters. Harry noticed upon entering the fray, the one Death Eater they were after, Rodolphus Lestrange.

Leaping into action Harry was able to catch a few off their guard and blasted them with a reductor curse. This distracted the others long enough for his group to subdue all but the one he was after.

"He's mine." Harry told the others stepping forward.

"Oh, why isn't it lil 'Arry Potter. Think you can play with the big boys now do ya? Isn't that wha your lil blood traitor thought too? Ha-ha, and look where she ended up." He laughed as he saw Harry's mouth tighten under his cloak. "Touched a nerve did I?" laughed Lestrange.

Pushing his wand back in the forearm holster, Harry reached into the left side of his cloak. Pulling free the sword of Potter, lifting it up and he leaned it against his right shoulder.

This was the first time anyone had seen his sword, and the look of surprise was evident. Nobody on the team even knew Harry had picked a weapon.

"An what are you gonna do wit tha Potter? Eh? Your not gonna kill me, you don' wanna go curruptin your precious lil heart and soul now do ya?" He finished with a hearty laugh. His smile vanished as he saw Harry step forward, with a frightening look to his half covered face.

Flashes of Bellatrix hitting Ginny with the killing curse ran through Harry's mind as he slowly closed the short distance between them. "I have no heart, I have no soul." He paused shortly, "your bitch of a wife took them from me." He growled, and fast as lightning Harry brought the sword across his body taking the head of Rodolphus Lestrange.

A deafening silence filled his brain, as it went blank from his actions. He had just decapitated a man, and felt no remorse about it. The moment Rodolphus Lestrange spoke ill of Ginny, Harry knew he was going to kill him. As the body fell to the ground, the world seemed to move in slow motion as the blood slowly dripped from the tip of the blade.

Looking up from where the body fell, Harry observed the open mouths of his team as they were staring at the head as it stopped rolling on the floor. Wiping the blood off his sword, he put it back in its sheath. He then banished the bodies of the fallen Death Eaters to the Ministry morgue with his wand. Placing restraints on the unconscious forms, Harry made a portkey sending them to the dungeons under Hogwarts to be interrogated later.

"Lets check the rest of the rooms to see what we can find." Harry ordered leading the way out into the hallway. They checked all the remaining rooms and found nothing of any use. Realizing the mission over, Harry lead his team to the bottom of the building where he and Hermione had come in. Ignoring the quick glances he received, they walked through the wreckage, made it outside and passed the anti-apparation wards. After waving his wand and making the building he destroyed look like they were never there, they all disapparated back to Hogwarts.

Once they reached the common room, Hermione turned to Harry,unable to restrain herself any longer. "How could you do that Harry? How could you kill him like that? Where has my friend gone?" She whispered the last question with watery eyes, looking away from him. All in one night she had seen her best friend of eight years lose himself, and she wasn't certain if he would come back to her.

"The Death Eaters are dead anyways, they're just too stupid to realize it. I'll make sure they do and as for where your friend has gone, read this." He told her pulling free his sword, showing her the carvings on the flat of the blade.

"It says Potter." She indicated.

"I found this sword in my vault. It has been in my family for a thousand years. Every Potter to fight the darkness, that had enough power, has wielded this sword. Now read this." He told her flipping it over to show her the ancient runes on the other side.

"It says….The Reaper of Light." she whispered remembering the story of the three brothers about Death following Ignotus.

"I'm no longer the little boy you met on the Hogwarts Express all those years ago Hermione." He then turned to the rest of them. "I have no feelings toward killing them." He yelled, "Whatever miss giving's I ever had are gone. They took my Ginny away from me! And I will destroy them all for it. They will reap the day they took her, and this." He motioned toward the sword. "This will be their Reaper. And together we will slay all baring Riddles mark until there is nothing left of his regime. I will wipe his very existence from the face of the earth. This sword was at the forefront of every major war against the dark side, and I will cut Tom Riddles fucking throat with it!" Harry screamed, tears streaming down his face.

He pulled back his hood so he could look them all in the eye. When he did, they looked back in shock. The once unmistakable jet-black hair he once had now had a mixture of white sprinkled throughout. From the year on the run and the months of training Harry's hair hung down to his shoulders, and had the salt and pepper look of a middle-aged man. And his once round glass that hid his entrancing eyes were no more.

"Revenge can't be your sole motivation or it'll consume you. That's how Riddle turned out the way he did, and I don't think Ginny would want you doing it this way." Hermione voiced after the initial shock.

"The difference between Tom and me is he would kill anyone of his followers to live. I would gladly give up my life for any one of you." He said sadly, calming down from his out burst. "Good job everyone." He said to them as he wiped his tears and walked out the common room. All his friends stood unsatisfied, wanting more answers from their leader.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen, and I've seen an awful lot." Neville spoke to the rest of the group as they sat around the fire. The morning after their first mission. None of them were able sleep very well thanks to the previous actions of their leader. Still not sure if it was a bad dream, or if they truly witnessed their friend Harry Potter, decapitating another human being; regardless of how twisted that person was. The truth was that Neville looked up to Harry, and after last night his resolve had been shaken.

"Yeah it was." Cho agreed, "He had no hesitation either. He seemed at complete ease, like it was natural."

And that was what scared Hermione the most, from what she had seen him do. She had witnessed him kill five people in cold blood, all because he could. This was not the Harry she knew, and loved. This Harry was a dark contrast of his former self. This Harry was willing to do anything to eliminate the Death Eaters, be it killing them quickly with his wand or aggressively with his newly acquired weapon of choice.

"What are you lot goin on about?" Seamus asked, "This was the game plan from the beginning, 'kill them all' remember? Now we actually know Harry was serious, and now its time to back him up."

"You can't mean you don't have a problem with him killing those people." Hermione spat.

"People?" asked Cho.

"He killed four others before we got to you. He used the most powerful Reducto I have ever seen, and then when I yelled for him to stop, he put more into it. He was trying to kill them. It was the most awesome and frightening display of power from a single blasting curse I've ever seen." Hermione told them.

"In war, its kill or be killed. The Death Eaters are the enemy, so we kill them, all of them, without remorse, and without pity; we are soldiers Hermione. They called on the thunder and now they've got it, now its Harry they will be worried about. Riddle should have been careful of what he wished for, because he's pushed Harry to become the perfect warrior: no hesitation, just action. This is the first time anybody has strategically attacked Voldy in the open, and I don't think he's goin to be able to take it. Harry's always had our backs no matter what the situation was, and now its time to return the favor. I'm with him all the way." Seamus stated.

"But should we be using their own methods against them?" Hermione questioned.

"Yes, I think we should. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. It doesn't matter how our task is accomplished, so long as it gets accomplished. It's not the moral thing to do, but this is Harry's show and I'm with him as well. At least we know what Harry's been doing in his spare time in the Room of Requirement, he's been training with that sword of his." Neville voiced.

"I wonder what he meant by the 'Potter champions'? Were his ancestors champions or something?" Cho asked.

"Harry is the direct descendent of Ignotus Peverell, the only surviving brother of the three brothers from the 'Tale of Beadle the Bard'." She told them.

"Well that's something you don't hear everyday." Seamus voiced out.

"And that means what exactly?" Cho asked.

"Well, I'm guessing it means that Harry comes from a long line of Potter men that take up that same sword in times of great peril to defend against the dark side." Hermione stated.

After this revelation about Harry, the room went silent for what seemed like hours as they each contemplated what she told them.

"So basically his entire family has taken up the charge of fighting evil? Well that's a little disheartening, why does it always seem to be Harry." Cho asked nobody in particular.

"Any news as to when Ron is going to come around and start talking to Harry again?" Neville asked Hermione, changing the subject.

Looking around to face him, she noticed the rest wanted to know the answer to that question as well. "I'm not sure, he blames Harry for what happened to Ginny, which isn't fair because it wasn't his fault. And as for Harry wanting to be his friend again, I'm not sure if he wants that anymore. Since its not the first time Ron's abandoned him." She said that last part a little more to her self.

"Well they've been best mates far to long to let it just fall apart now. Right? Maybe the time apart has put things into perspective for them." Neville stated out loud.

"Yeah maybe, but it's been ten months Neville." Hermione stated. She had hoped the time apart would be good for them as well, but she was starting to wonder if their friendship was truly over.

"The biggest thing I want to know is how in the bloody hell did he talk to us in our minds. Cuz tha was something I want ta know how to do." Seamus stated.

"And his hair is starting to turn white too. Have you all noticed it?" Cho voiced.

"I think it has something to do with all this new power he as developed. I don't think his body can take it, he hasn't had time to gain it gradually like normal."

"What will happen to him then?" Susan asked speaking for the first time.

"I don't know, but I guess we'll find out eventually." Hermione said. "But in the mean time I'm going to go find him."

"Good luck." They all expressed, as she got up to make her way to the Room of Requirement where she knew he would be.

When the door appeared she heard loud yelling coming from with in followed by a small trembling of the ground beneath her. As she moved closer she could also hear loud clanging. It sounded almost like those medieval movies she used to watch with her father.

Knowing Harry was in there, she assumed this was all part of his training. Though it still gave her an unnerving feeling in the pit of her stomach. Doing the best thing that came to mind, she walked to the door and hesitantly entered.

Having never been to one of Harry's training sessions, what she seen almost gave her a heart attack. It was a war on a grand scale. What seemed like an entire legion of faceless soldiers was charging toward the center of the room. At the heart of the battle stood a hooded man in all white, with a blinding white sword in his hand; waiting. Waiting for what seemed like the next wave of the onslaught before he reentered the fight.

As fast as a lightning strike, he launched himself at the hoard of enemies, swinging his blade like a master swordsman. He made his way swiftly through the masses when he noticed her standing in the doorway. The second he seen her, the soldiers he was fighting took notice and turned their attention towards her. With each foe he felled, another appeared in its place to renter the fray.

The sudden change in the soldier's direction kept her from thinking clearly, and she started to back out of the room until she hit solid wall. Pulling her wand out she took up a fighting stance that Harry had shown her.

Before she had the chance to utter a single spell, a white blur lead by a white streak of lightning crossed her sight. Striking at will, Harry was lunging, and parrying attacks only to spin out of it to strike from high to low splitting the faceless soldier's in two. He continued to hack away, decapitating or impaling any he came across. She had never seen anything more terrifying and yet beautiful at the same time. He looked as if he were dancing. His sword was his partner, fluidly moving like an extended part of himself carving their way through the enemy.

He stopped directly in front of her in a clear stance of protection, as the soldiers made their move to attack. Raising his left hand his wand shot out from its holster, pointing it at the oncoming hoard of soldiers uttering the one spell that had given her nightmares the night before. "REDUCTO MAXIMA!"

That same blinding blue light erupted from his wand and struck the one in the front, causing it to disintegrate. She again witnessed him put more magic into it, and the spell exploded out of his wand in complete blanket of devastation.

A few minutes passed, the noise stopped, and the dust settled. Feeling feint at what she had witnessed, Hermione had to lean back against the wall to steady her-self.

"How long were you in here before I noticed you?" Harry came out of the shadows to kneel in front of her. She had known him long enough to know he seemed displeased to see her here.

"Only a few minutes, but long enough to see this…. this massacre." She stammered.

"They aren't real people Hermione. Just something to help me train."

"They may not be real people this time, but I've seen you kill real people, and if given the chance I think you could and would do this to them as well." She cried to him.

Giving a heavy sigh, he sat down next to her on the floor. They sat in silence for what seemed like hours, until he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry you feel that way about my methods Hermione, I really am. But I'm not going to change them, at least not until its over."

"And when it is over? What will you do then Harry?" She asked him.

"Well assuming I live to the end, I will live out the reminder of my life alone." He told her pulling back his hood. "Or maybe they'll let me teach defense here, eh?" he added with a laugh.

"I think you would be brilliant, I always said you were an amazing teacher Harry."

"Thanks, but I'm not so sure anymore. I have too much blood on my hands already, and by the time this is all over I'll have a lot more. Maybe I should just leave this place, leave Europe." He told her the options he was giving himself, except the one he hoped would happen. He wanted to tell her he didn't want to make it through this alive, because he wanted to be with Ginny. A full year had passed since that battle and he could feel his heart telling him his time in this world would soon be at an end. He just hoped it would come sooner rather than later, but as long as it came after he killed Riddle and all of his followers he didn't care.

"You will never be alone Harry, not with me around. And if you leave, I would probably follow you." She said with a small chuckle not realizing how it sounded. To an outsider listening in it would sound like her wanting to be with him. Which in this case, the gossip in Hogwarts would actually be right.

For years she kept her feelings for him bottled up. She knew how he felt about Ginny, and how Ron felt about her. She new he would never feel for her what he felt for Ginny, even now after her death. But she could always give him her support.

They sat there for a long time until they realized how hungry they were. As they walked into the Great Hall they noticed that the normal tables were missing, and a large round one was in its place. The table was comprised with the remaining staff and the Phoenix Army. Making their way to their seats, Professor McGonagall looked up to meet them, and gasped in surprise at Harry's appearance.

"What happened to your hair Mr. Potter?"

Looking around at the others shrugging his shoulders, not sure what she was talking about. "What's wrong with it? It's always messy, you know that Professor."

"I am not refereeing to the messiness Mr. Potter, I am talking about your hair turning white."

"White?" he asked in shock. "I had no idea."

"I think you might be having a power over load Harry." Hermione told him.

"That has to be it, with the wand and the sword giving me more than I already had." He voice out. "No big deal."

Upon hearing this Seamus almost spit his pumpkin juice out over the table. "You gained more power after the Hogwarts battle?" he asked, to which Harry nodded.

"How is this possible Harry?" McGonagall asked him.

"Well the first power boost, so to speak, you saw here. And when I went to Ollivander's to get a new wand he gave me this." He pulled out his wand and placed it at the center.

McGonagall hesitantly reached forward to pick it up and examined it, before asking him directly, "What is it?"

"Ollivander said my magical core was to powerful to have a normal wooden foundation. It's dragon bone; the core was made with three different dragon heartstrings. His father's father made this, one hundred and twenty years ago."

And then he reached into his coat, pulled his sword out, and placed it on the table. "I found this sword in my vault, it has been in my family since Ignotus Peverell. I bonded with both of these items magically. When Ginny died I snapped, and magically it felt like a veil had been removed and I could see. All of the restrictions we are told we have are gone; I felt like I had reached my magical peak. And then I bonded with the wand and I felt the same feeling only it went beyond that barrier. And as for the sword, well lets just say I have inherited the power and knowledge of all who carried it. It feels great, but sometimes it has a mind of its own."

"I'm not sure how much longer my body can hold all of this power. When this is all over I'm thinking of not using a wand altogether, since I don't really need it anyways." He told the table.

"Maybe you should just limit your use of the wand for now, until you will absolutely need to use it." McGonagall advised.

He knew what McGonagall suggested was the right thing to do if he cared what happened to him, which he didn't, but he decided to humor his old Professor.

"What do you think about us joining you during your training sessions Harry." Neville asked him.

Looking over to see Hermione's reaction of Neville's question, he contemplated whether or not this would be a good idea. Thinking they would become more afraid of him then they already are, he wasn't so sure how they would be if they would see him. But as usual Hermione beat him to the punch before he responded.

"I guess we could go with him after lunch, I'm sure the Room could create a viewing booth or something."

"I would like to see as well." McGonagall told him.

Feeling a little deflated, he begrudgingly agreed to let them see his training. After agreeing, he stopped eating so he wouldn't be overly stuffed during the show he was to be giving them. After everyone else was finished, they all headed to the Room of Requirement.

"Please, don't think to badly of me after you see this." Harry pleaded with them, before he walked back and forth the three times asking for the same things he always did with the exception of the viewing booth.

When the door appeared he held it open for for all of them. As Hermione passed, she gave him a reassuring squeeze of his arm.

Giving them a few minutes to get to the balcony over looking the area he normally trained in.

Taking a deep breath as he waited for his faceless enemy to attack, he pulled his sword out and leaned the blade on his shoulder. The soldiers appeared out of nowhere completely surrounding him, their weapons firmly in their hands waiting to pounce on him.

"Why is he just standing there!" shouted Seamus.

"He will move in good time." Hermione told him as she shut her eyes.

"Why are you shutting your eyes Hermione? Have you seen this before?" Neville asked her. The only way she could respond was to nod her head, because she new what was going to happen, and a second later she was not disappointed.

'Now', Harry thought to himself as he took a deep calming breath. Lunging forward he struck the first soldier in the face, driving the tip of the blade halfway in, and in one fluid motion pulled it back out. As he did that, two soldiers attacked at his exposed back. Feeling the attack coming he lifted his sword parrying one of the two blades, the other slicing across his back. Spinning around Harry swiveled his sword over his head and swung it across his shoulders cutting their heads off.

Over the next fifteen minutes the small group on the balcony witnessed a massacre similar to the one Hermione had seen earlier. Shock and awe were the main emotions shown by everyone there.

"They just keep coming towards him, how can he keep fighting at this pace." Susan asked nobody in particular.

"It will end soon." Hermione stated, in a despondent tone. They all looked at her not sure exactly what she meant until they heard a loud scream from Harry. Opening her eyes to see if Harry had been hurt, Hermione peered over the balcony. He was down on one knee pointing his wand at the group of faceless soldiers.

"REDUCTO MAXIMA!" The blue beam of power emanating from Harry's blasting curse struck the first line of soldiers causing them to disintegrate, and then slowly expanded through the rest in a chain reaction. Taking a deep breath he pushed all of the magic he could into it, showing them what he could do. After a few minutes passed he released the spell, knowing the soldiers had all been destroyed. he stood up and took a few wobbled steps back before he collapsed into the darkness.


End file.
